Minister Luhut Set to Hold Meeting to Discuss Boeing 737-8 Max

JAKARTA, NNC - Indonesia Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan said his office would hold a meeting to discuss the events of the Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737-8 Max, which crashed on Sunday (03/10/2019), as similar aircraft are used in Indonesia.

"I have a meeting tomorrow about that," he said on the sidelines of a press conference regarding the launch of the National Plastic Action Partnership (NPAP) in Jakarta on Monday (11/3/2019).

Luhut said his ministry would invite a number of related parties to hear some reports regarding the Boeing 737-8 Max aircraft which are also used by airlines operating in Indonesia.

The Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs said that he did not know exactly how the results would come out of the talks because it depends on various reports to be discussed at the meeting.

Previously, the Directorate General of Air Transportation of the Ministry of Transportation increased the supervision of the use of Boeing 737-8 Max aircraft following the crash of the same type of aircraft belonging to Ethiopian Airlines which flew from Bole Airport in Addis Ababa to Nairobi on March 10, 2019.

"Until now, we continue to make corrective steps starting from operational procedures and additional training and following up on Airworthiness Directivem issued by the Federal Aviation Administration," said Director General of Air Transportation, Ministry of Transportation, Polana B Pramesti, in a written statement on Monday (11/3 / 2019).

DG Hubud will continue to supervise airlines that still operate the same type of aircraft in Indonesia. Supervision of the Boeing 737-8 Max aircraft has been carried out since last October 2018.

In addition to overseeing the operation of the Boeing 737-8 Max aircraft, Polana added, it also continues to work with the National Transportation Safety Committee (NTSC), Boeing, and world aviation agencies such as the FAA to continue evaluating Boeing 737-8 Max aircraft accidents then.

This cooperation is needed in the improvement of operational techniques or follow-up of the Directorate General of Transportation at the operational level of Boeing 737-8 Max aircraft.

"We will also communicate and monitor the investigation process of the Max Boeing 737-8 types that crashed in Ethiopia and coordinate with the FAA to decide on further steps in Boeing 737-8 Max's operational repairs," he said.